Trying To Keep It Fresh...need Your Help
Decorating By sassyredhead Updated 8 Jun 2007 , 3:49am by smbegg
I posted a few months ago about getting a contract to do the birthday cakes for DHs company. It amounts to 35 or so cakes/year but the caveat is that I'm reaplacing what they'd normally do which is go to the grocery bakery fridge and grab one and tell them to slap "Happy Birthday ____" on it. And pay $16. (For a 1/4 sheet cake.)
I'm a MAJOR beginner so I looked at this as an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. And I get absolutely no other practice otherwise, so here I am. I've done 4 cakes for them so far, and I'm trying to take opportunities where I know the people and make them personal, just for the sake of pushing myself and building my portfolio.
But here is the kicker. 80% of the cakes are men, and most of them I know nothing about. I know that what they are used to is the typical "balloon" or "flower" motif, but I really don't want to do that. On the other hand, I don't want to trap myself into creating expectations that all of them will be personalized to them when the only way I could do that is to do some major homework by making phone calls, etc.
Should I just do some "generic" cakes for the ones I don't know and only throw in the personal ones every so often for the ones that DH and I know well? And if so, can someone give me some ideas for masculine generic sheet cakes? I'm feeling complete decorator's block...
I really shouldn't be agonizing over these cakes for what they pay me... 
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